Simms said: “The atmosphere in and around the stadiums has been absolutely fantastic and I have absolutely no idea where these quotes have come from.”

Bolt yesterday waved a Jamican flag as his homeland lost 50-42 to New Zealand. He posed for pictures with fans and joined in a Mexican wave. But he did a “bolt” from reporters following up the story – though when asked what he thought of the Games he did shout back: “Awesome!”

Bolt later tweeted a link to the BBC footage of his SECC jaunt.

The sprinter posted a picture on Instagram of him and Aussie track star John Steffensen in the Athlete’s Village.

Significantly, The Times does not have a recording of the exchange between reporter Katie Gibbons and Bolt.

But it is expected to publish a word-for-word account of the meeting today.

Its Scottish editor Angus Macleod said: “We stand by this story 100 per cent.”

Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Hooper said he would take Bolt at his word. He said: “We’re very pleased with how he’s responded and that’s our position.”

A Glasgow 2014 spokeswoman said: “His tweet says it all.

“He has woken up to something he didn’t believe he said yesterday.”

Bolt arrived in Glasgow on Saturday. He will run the 4x100m relay heats on Friday – but no individual events.

It’s his first Commonwealth Games and a huge boost for Glasgow after stars including Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Mark Cavendish pulled out. The Games have gone down a storm with the great and good of sport.

Bolt gets into the action at the SECC

Dame Kelly Holmes said: “The Commonwealth Games as a whole will always have questions because it’s not an Olympic Games and they don’t have the same financial clout.

“Glasgow organisers have known since the huge success of London 2012 that the eyes of the world would be on them.

“These Games have been great from competitors’ and visitors’ perspective. They couldn’t have done much better.”

Scot Katherine Grainger, a gold medallist rower at the London Olympics, said: “The stadia are packed and the crowds are enthusiastic.

“The passion in the city is like nowhere else and as long as the organisers tapped into that everything else would fall into place. I think that’s exactly what has happened.”

MSP Shona Robison – the Commonwealth Games minister – said: “Visitors and athletes are feeding back that they are having a great time.”

Scottish gold medal swimmer Dan Wallace said: “This is a special competition for us, so Usain Bolt can say what he wants but he can’t take back my gold medal.”